The present invention relates generally to portable commodes or toilet systems for use by persons when no permanent toilet facilities are available. More specifically, it pertains to a new waste receptacle bag for receiving urine, feces and other harmful or offensive material for later disposal. The bag requires no support structure in order to be used in a convenient and sanitary manner. The bag contains the waste from start of use until finished with no chance to spill or leak, and consequently soil a person's cloths, or the person.
Portable toilets may be used in locations where no permanent toilet facilities are available, such as outdoor activities or events, outdoor construction or work sites, hunting, emergency response to man-made or natural disasters, travel or where existing toilet facilities are undesirable to use. A typical portable toilet comprises of a generally conventional toilet seat mounted atop a tank, bucket or similar structure, and may be enclosed for privacy. Most portable toilets are large, bulky and heavy, and therefore inconvenient and costly to transport and store. They are expensive to purchase, limited in their disposal options, inconvenient to clean and are subject to residual accumulation of noxious odors and dangerous germs. A need exists for portable toilets that are more economical, more readily transported and stored, do not require cleaning, and minimize noxious odors and the accumulation of dangerous germs.
In partial response to this need, disposable toilets that include a bag-like receptacle, a folded receptacle or similar compact receptacles have been developed. The common concept underlying these toilets is that the bag-like receptacle functions as a liner for collecting waste inside a rigid or collapsible supporting structure. Following use, the receptacle can be removed from the support structure for disposal. Removing the bag-like receptacle from the container leaves it highly susceptible to breakage or tearing, and the resulting discharge of the noxious contents therein. It is also highly likely for the user's hands to become soiled from waste that comes from the neck of these receptacles. Even with the receptacle, the support structure will still need cleaning. It is mentioned in publications that these receptacle-type waste bags can be spread out on the ground for use in emergency situations without the support structure. However, this method is unsanitary, very difficult to use, cumbersome, offensive, and requires very good aim. The user and their trousers are highly likely to become soiled during this process.
Fluid containment bags that can be used by pilots, workers in the field and others who have no immediate access to fixed urinal facilities are also known. These bags are not designed for fecal waste. The above-mentioned bags may or may not include a super absorbent hydrophilic polymer that forms a gel upon contact with urine. These polymer granules may be mixed with fragrances to mask odors, enzymes to break down the urine or biocides to minimize growth of bacteria and or other microorganisms. These polymer granules and mixtures are also being used in some of the toilet receptacle bags described above.
By reviewing the ample prior art on the subject of portable toilets it is apparent that people have long sought a means to effectively and simply collect and dispose of human waste in a sanitary manor when no permanent toilet facilities are available. It would be desirable to provide an economical, disposable, degradable or non-degradable personal sanitary toilet for receipt of liquid and solid waste that requires no rigid or collapsible structure in order to be utilized. It would also be desirable that the portable toilet be able to be stored compactly and that the user can seal and readily transport it to a disposal site after use. It would be desirable to do this without soiling themselves or their clothing, and without experiencing the unpleasant and unsanitary effects of fluid, vapor or odor leakage. These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.